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Itel has launched the Itel P55 5G smartphone in India and it is touted to be the cheapest smartphone in the country that has support for 5G network. The Itel P55 also further packs a MediaTek Dimensity chipset, and an HD+ display. Itel S23+ has also debuted alongside the P55 in India as the first smartphone under Rs 15,000 to have a 3D curved display. Take a look at what else these smartphones offer.
Itel P55 5G: Price, Specs
The launch price for the Itel P55 5G is set at Rs 9,999 for the 6GB + 128GB model and Rs 9,699 for the 4GB + 64GB trim in India. It can be bought via Amazon in Blue or Green colours, starting October 4, 2023. Itel is also offering a 2-year warranty on the device along with a VIP screen replacement offer.
The Itel P55 sports a 6.6-inch HD+ display with a Resolution of 1600 x 720 pixels and a refresh rate of 90Hz. It packs a MediaTek Dimensity 6080 SoC paired with up to 6GB RAM and up to 128GB of storage. At the rear, it gets a dual camera setup including a 50MP main sensor and an AI sensor.
The device is backed by a 5000mAh battery with 18W fast charging. It also gets a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for security. Connectivity options on the device include 5G, Dual-Band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and a USB-C port for charging.
Itel S23+: Price, Specs
The Itel S23+ launch price is set at Rs 13,999 for the sole 8GB + 256GB model in India. It is available in Elemental Blue and Lake Cyan colour options. It will be available via Amazon India starting October 6th.
The handset sports a 6.78-inch FHD+ curved always-on AMOLED Display with 99% DCI-P3 colour gamut, 500 nits peak brightness, 60Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate and Gorilla Glass 5 protection. It is powered by the Unisoc T616 Chipset paired with up to 8GB RAM and 256GB storage.
The smartphone has dual rear cameras, including a 50MP f/1.6 main sensor and an unspecified secondary sensor. There’s a 32MP sensor on the front for selfies. The smartphone runs on itel OS 13 based on Android 13 and has features like a Dynamic Bar, GPT AI assistant and more.
The device packs a 5000mAh battery with 18W fast charging. There’s an in-display fingerprint sensor along with a mono speaker, a USB-C port, a 3.5mm Headphone jack, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC and 4G VoLTE.


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The Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana has re-elected Carlo Capasa as its president for a two-year term. This is the third time that Capasa has been elected as president of the Camera, Italian fashion's governing body.
After a hiatus of three seasons, Raf Simons is to return to Paris to stage his next menswear show. He will present his Spring/Summer 2019 collection in the City of Light on Wednesday, June 20 at 9.30 p.m.
Spanish brand Bimba y Lola has posted double-digit revenue growth ahead of a possible sale to investment fund Permira. The brand ended 2017 with revenue of 180.8 million euros, up 18.5% against the previous year.
UK retail had a better time in April yet not everybody was happy as department stores proved to be the main sector that was struggling. At least fashion had a better time of it than in the first few months of the year.
The House of Fraser plan to downsize its store numbers and rationalise its remaining space looks like it will be going to the heart of its operation with even its Oxford Street, London flagship not immune.
After news that its CEO has been poached by Dr Martens, textiles-to-fashion-to-homewares company Cath Kidston has quickly found a replacement with American Melinda Paraie to join the British company next month.
South African clothing and homeware retailer The Foschini Group (TFG) on Thursday reported a smaller than expected rise in full-year earnings, hurt by higher expenses, sending its shares down as much as 4.8 percent.
The famous design competition has just revealed the identity of the 15 finalists in its Fashion, Accessories and Innovation categories, including labels such as Atlein, Eckhaus Latta, Facetasm, Kevin Germanier.
Apparel retailer Gap Inc reported quarterly same-store sales on Thursday that missed analysts’ estimates as its namesake brand struggled to clear excess inventory in a quarter marred by an unusually long winter.

domain: news


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The Philippines is an attractive market of 100 million people with little e-commerce penetration and an optimistic perspective on the ASEAN integration. Nevertheless, the Philippines presents certain peculiarities and challenges for local and foreign companies to tackle if they want to tap into the country’s great potential.
Social entrepreneurship is a way of creating business that emphasizes a greater care for the people and natural resources employed. Producing organic cosmetics and benefiting to the welfare of its workers, this Philippine company also found a way to build a profitable and fast-growing business.
As in the rest of Asia, Philippine real estate is currently in a very positive trend. With strong fundamentals, a large population and fast growing economy, the Philippine property market is also driven by oversees Filipinos sending money home, strong domestic demand and the dynamic BPO and tourism industries.
After years of slump, the Philippines is now one of the fastest growing countries in Asia. Multinational and local corporations are benefiting from strong macroeconomics and large untapped market to seize growth opportunities. Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala shares his views on opportunities and challenges of the Philippines.
Manila’s larger urban area, “Mega Manila”, is set to reach 30 million inhabitants by 2030. To cope with its growth and relieve the pressure from the population, the Philippine authorities have devised an ambitious plan of integrated urbanization and transports that will foster the sustainable development of the country’s capital city.
The Philippines is an interesting place for tech startups: a large population, a growing economy and a vast base of Internet users who are very involved in social media. These factors make the Philippines more and more attractive as it develops an eco-system to accompany the launch, development and maturation of startups.
The Philippines has become one of the most attractive countries to do business in Asia in the recent years. In order to attract, inform and help more companies to conduct business, the Philippine government has created a website to gather all the important information to set up a company, trade and spread the word on interesting …
Awareness about ASEAN and the upcoming ASEAN Economic Community is growing in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. In a recent video by Rappler, Tessie Sy-Coson, Vice-Chairperson at SM Investment Corporation, explains her perspective for ASEAN and the Philippines together with its impact on some business sectors.
The development of Southeast Asia in the next 30 years will require a lot of energy. Yet, producing fossil fuels becomes challenging and clean renewable energy technologies are still in their infancy. A Bloomberg report presents how Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia manage these new issues to power up for the future.
The use of Internet on mobile devices in the Philippines is still behind other ASEAN countries, as smartphone penetration is low. However it is picking up very quickly, and with a population of more than 100 M people and very social habits, the Philippines is already becoming a digital and social media powerhouse in the region.


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There were some interesting presentations given at DemoCamp 18 ranging from serious programming innovation to fun applications with great potential to develop into solid businesses. I had the opportunity to delve into a bit of detail on BitStrips, one of the businesses that from my perspective, stood out with great direction and fun.
BitStrips was launched launched four months ago at South by Southwest. It’s a platform developed by an animator that allows anyone to create comic strips and share them online. The service is fast, easy and free providing its community of over 20,000 registered users with instant gratification and one day…maybe, its advertisers with a viral communications platform.
Jesse Brown manages the marketing and communications for BitStrips and presented their newly released “Comic Canon” application last night at DemoCamp. The application was designed to further streamline the comic strip building process so that it could be done much easier and virtually on the fly. The next big launch will be a FaceBook application, which will allow users to exchange comic strips within the social network.
I caught up with Jesse later on at the OurFaves event at the Gladstone. On the subject of media, Jesse mentioned that part of the core strategy is to tread carefully on the commercialization of the site. Smart move I believe, as the site is truly designed around the consumer experience and is enjoying a great trajectory as a commercial-free product. “Junking up the environment” would probably be a bad call. The most obvious alternative media revenue generating opportunity for the site would be product placement. Jesse noted that BitStrips is working hard to keep up with the hundreds of requests for new props and above all, clothing items available to construct the millions of strips that are released from the platform each month.
From a potential media perspective, here are some current facts about the site:
- 20,000 registered users
- 60,000 unique users per month
- 4 million page views per month (on-site & distributed content)
- Average of 14 minutes spent per user
- Average 10 page views per user
- 1.5 million page views distributed outside of its platform per month
It was nice to see a start-up with so much potential as a business, have so much fun on its way to inevitable success (one way or another).


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Trying a new thing this week so people know when to expect a show. We go live at 5pm UK, that’s Midday Eastern. Patreon supporters get the episodes as soon as they’re ready and ad free. You can be like them by clicking here.
Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily, you trusted source of EV information. It’s Sunday 26th February it’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don’t have to.
FORD EXTENDS F-150 LIGHTNING PRODUCTION PAUSE
– Summary: Ford has announced that they are extending the production pause of the F-150 Lightning for another week and will also be holding all shipments for the same period of time. Ford has identified an issue with battery cells provided by supplier SK and has suspended production of the F-150 Lightning until March 3, 2023. Ford has agreed with SK’s recommended changes and SK has started building battery cells again in Commerce, Georgia. Ford’s full statement is that it will take time for SK to ensure they are back to building high-quality cells and to deliver them to the Lightning production line. Ford has not issued a stop sale of F-150 Lightning units, but did issue a temporary halt on production and a stop-shipment of units until it can confirm its vehicles are unaffected by the cell issue.
NEW 2023 FORD ELECTRIC CROSSOVER TO BE REVEALED ON 21 MARCH
– Summary: Ford will be revealing their long-awaited, American-flavoured electric crossover on 21 March. Martin Sander, Ford’s European passenger car boss, posted on his personal Linkedin profile and confirmed the reveal date, suggesting the car may be called the Explorer. Autocar has reported that Ford plans to revive more historic names for their new cars, but no details have been given. In a brief video, Ford of Europe design chief Amko Leenarts revealed the two-tone alloy wheels, which hint at a rugged, urban character.
TESLA RIGHT-HAND-DRIVE (RHD) VEHICLES SPOTTED WAITING FOR SHIPMENT AT SHANGHAI PORT
– Summary: Tesla China is allocating resources to domestic market this quarter, and drone flyovers at Shanghai port have revealed that a large number of Tesla vehicles are waiting for shipment abroad, many of which are right-hand-drive (RHD) Model 3 units. These units may be the last batch of pre-upgrade RHD Model 3 that Giga Shanghai is exporting, and the upgrades are expected to bring revisions to the exterior, powertrain performance and infotainment system. The upgraded Model 3’s design will also be changed to make production easier and more cost-effective.
Tesla China is reportedly pausing production at its Gigafactory Shanghai facility until the end of February in order to implement upgrades. These upgrades are believed to be related to the upcoming “Project Highland” Model 3 updates, which include a revamped infotainment system, exterior updates, powertrain performance improvements, and a simplified manufacturing process. It is speculated that the upgrades may be a step towards the full “Project Highland” rollout, which is expected to occur in Q3 2023.
– Original Source: https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-rhd-vehicles-shanghai-port-video/
MEASUREMENT CANADA APPROVES PER KWH BILLING
– Summary: Measurement Canada has approved per kWh billing at Level 3+ charging stations across Canada, allowing electric vehicle owners to be billed for the amount of electricity they use, rather than the amount of time they are plugged in. This update will be easy for Tesla to implement, as they can bill owners through their existing infrastructure and in-car display. The change is expected to take place shortly, and Tesla’s pricing structure will be updated accordingly.
AUDI’S REQUEST TO INVALIDATE NIO ES8 AND ES6 TRADEMARKS IN EUROPE REJECTED
– Summary: The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has ruled that NIO’s ES8 and ES6 trademarks do not create a likelihood of confusion with Audi’s S8 and S6 trademarks, and has rejected Audi’s request for invalidation. This follows a ruling from a German court in January which had supported Audi’s request. NIO has appealed the ruling and has not yet started selling the ES6 or ES8 in Germany. NIO changed the name of its ES7 model to EL7 in Europe in order to avoid affecting the interests of customers in Europe due to the lawsuit.
NEW MERCEDES GLB AND EQB SPOTTED: PRICE, SPECS AND RELEASE DATE
– Summary: The Mercedes GLB and EQB are getting a mid-life refresh, with tweaked styling and updated infotainment likely. The GLB is expected to have a revised front grille and LED lights, while the EQB has similar headlights to the current car but a different rear-end design. The interior is expected to be in line with the recently facelifted Mercedes A-Class, with dual 10.25-inch screens and improved voice commands. The reveal is expected towards the end of 2023, with pricing likely to be a bit more than the current cars.
THE 2025 ALFA ROMEO GIULIA QUADRIFOGLIO WILL BE A FULLY ELECTRIC 1,000BHP SUPER-SALOON
– Summary: The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, set to be released in 2025, will be a fully electric super-saloon with a maximum power output of 1,000bhp. It will use the Stellantis Group STLA Large platform and have a range of up to 500 miles. The design of the car will be distinct from other cars on the same platform, with the aim of providing ‘electroleggera’ handling and agility. A larger electric car is also planned for 2027, as well as an ultra-glam coupe, which is currently being designed with input from customers. The coupe will have a choice of both petrol and electric powertrains, making it Alfa Romeo’s final combustion car.
FLORIDA LAWMAKER SUGGESTS LIMITING ELECTRIC VEHICLES DURING HURRICANE EVACUATIONS
– Summary: Florida Senator Jonathan Martin raised a concern that electric vehicles could become roadblocks if they run out of power on highways crowded with fleeing residents during an evacuation. The Florida Department of Transportation is set to move forward this year with distributing federal money to add more charging stations near evacuation routes. The Department of Transportation’s preference is to find ways to help electric vehicle owners, such as deploying portable chargers, during evacuations. The number of electric vehicles registered in Florida has increased 87% from September 2021 to December 2022, but still only make up 1% of the vehicles in the state. By 2040, the share of electric vehicles is expected to increase to between 10-35%.
US DEVELOPERS FINISH SOLAR CARPORT AT RECREATIONAL VEHICLE RESORT IN CALIFORNIA
– Summary: US developers DSD Renewables and Black Bear Energy have completed a 1.5 MW solar project in Menifee, California at the Wilderness Lakes campground. The facility is expected to generate 2.4 million kWh of energy per year, meeting about 50% of the campground’s total energy use. California Senator Josh Becker has introduced SB 49, a bill to provide tax incentives for the construction of solar carports in the state, and estimates suggest that these carports could meet up to one-third of California’s total electricity demand. Incentives for solar carports already exist in some US states, and in late 2022, France passed a law making solar carports mandatory for parking lots greater than 1,500 square meters.
ONE OF THE US’S FIRST SOLAR PEAKER PLANTS JUST BROKE GROUND
– Summary: The Vikings Energy Farm, one of the first solar peaker plants in the US, has broken ground in Holtville, California. It will be powered by First Solar thin film Cadmium Telluride PV solar modules and a Tesla Megapack battery energy storage system, which can store over 3MWh of energy, enough to power 3,600 homes for an hour. The unique 1:1 configuration of 137 MW of solar and 150 MW/600 MWh of battery energy storage will allow it to shift daytime solar production to late afternoon and evening hours. Once online, the project will provide renewable energy to San Diego Community Power and help reduce the need for fossil fuel-fired peaker plants.
– Original Source: https://electrek.co/2023/02/24/us-solar-peaker-plant/
SONO SION SOLAR CAR PROJECT GOES DARK, THOUGH FIRM SEEKS TO SELL IT
– Summary: Sono Motors announced that it is terminating its Sion passenger car program and instead focusing on its solar solutions. The company is attempting to sell the program, which was scheduled to start production in 2023 with a claimed price of $25,000, including EU incentives. Sono has raised over $600,000 and has 23 customers for its solar technology. The company made 18 vehicles as part of a series-validation program and has 45,000 reservations, 12,000 pre-orders, and 9,800 partially paid preorders. However, they are facing financial difficulties and other solar-car projects have also encountered difficulties.
HYBRID CARS ARE STILL INCREDIBLY POPULAR, BUT ARE THEY GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?
– Summary: Hybrid cars, such as the Prius, have remained a popular choice among car buyers for their fuel saving and carbon footprint reduction. However, environmentalists argue they are an obstruction in the fight against climate change and favor all-electric vehicles. Hybrids are flying off dealership lots, with many more options in virtually every segment, including SUVs and sporty cars. There is a debate between companies, advocates and government regulators as to whether hybrids are helping or hurting in the fight against climate change, with Toyota continuing to make the environmental case for them. Regulatory policies may soon focus on EVs and plug-in hybrids, leaving conventional hybrids behind.
FIRST BIG U.S. EV-BATTERY PLANT OFFERS LESSONS AS INDUSTRY SPRINGS UP
– Summary: Panasonic, the partner of Tesla, has warned newcomers of the electric vehicle battery industry that it takes time to become profitable. The U.S. government’s Inflation Reduction Act requires 50% of the electric vehicle battery to be made in the U.S. in order to receive a federal discount, which is proving to be a challenge. Panasonic started building the first large-scale EV-battery plant in the U.S. in 2015, and has been struggling to reach profitability since then.
THINKING ABOUT AN ELECTRIC CAR? LEASING MIGHT ACTUALLY BE A GOOD IDEA
What are the benefits of leasing an electric car versus purchasing one?
What incentives are available to those who lease an electric car?
What are the potential risks associated with leasing an electric vehicle?
Leasing an electric vehicle (EV) may be an attractive option for car buyers, as it allows them to experience the benefits of driving electric without committing to an expensive purchase. Leasing also eliminates the worry of potential depreciation of the vehicle, and there are tax credit opportunities for commercial leasing. Automakers may be incentivized to offer lower cost EV leases to attract customers, and when the lease is up, the car can still be sold for a reasonable profit.
PHIL ROBERTS / ELECTRIC FUTURE
PORSCHE OF THE VILLAGE CINCINNATI
AUDI CINCINNATI EAST
VOLVO CARS CINCINNATI EAST
NATIONAL CAR CHARGING ON THE US MAINLAND AND ALOHA CHARGE IN HAWAII
DEREK REILLY FROM THE EV REVIEW IRELAND YOUTUBE CHANNEL
RICHARD AT RSEV.CO.UK – FOR BUYING AND SELLING EVS IN THE UK
OCTOPUS ELECTRIC UNIVERSE – GLOBAL PUBLIC CHARGING MADE SIMPLE WITH ONE APP AND ONE MAP.
MILLBROOKCOTTAGES.CO.UK – 5* LUXURY COTTAGES IN DEVON, JUMP IN THE HOT TUB WHILST YOUR EV CHARGES
LEASEPLAN ELECTRIC MOMENTS – PROVIDING ALL THE TOOLS AND GUIDANCE EV DRIVERS NEED
DAVID AND LISA ALLEN
JUKKA KUKKONEN FROM WWW.SHIFT2ELECTRIC.COM
BATTERY REPORTS FOR EVS AT RECURRENTAUTO.COM
ALEXANDER FRANK @ https://www.youtube.com/c/alexsuniverse42
ANDY NANCARROW AND LILIAN KASS
COLIN HENNESSY AND CAMBSEV
IAN (WATTIE) WATKINS
JAN FROM EMOBILITYNORWAY
JOHN VAN DEVOORT
JON AKA BEARDY MCBEARDFACE FROM KENT EVS
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NEIL E ROBERTS FROM SUSSEX EVS
PETER & DEE ROBERTS
REALTORS CHOICE PHOTOGRAPHY
ROB FROM THE RSTHINKS EV CHANNEL ON YOUTUBE
THE PLUGSEEKER’S EV YOUTUBE CHANNEL
THOMAS J. THIAS


text: Even though the dollar benefited from the upside surprise in retail sales, it is the Yen weakness that pushed all of the major currencies lower. The 1% drop in USD/JPY triggered large declines in pairs such as EUR/JPY, NZD/JPY and CHF/JPY. EUR/JPY selling for example has driven EUR/USD lower. Over the past few weeks, the one way sell-off in the Yen and the promise of even easier monetary policy caused a surge in demand for Yen funded carry trades. However last night, Japanese Economy Minister Amari’s comment about the potential negative aspect of an excessively weak currency triggered a wave of profit taking and deleveraging. Considering that USD/JPY has become extremely overbought, corrections are not surprising but it is important to realize that Amari’s bark is bigger than his bite because the Japanese would never stand in the way of Yen weakness especially with their economy at its current state. Yen weakness also goes a long way in achieving Prime Minister Abe’s goals of ending deflation and boosting growth.


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New Coldplay album coming in May?
Could Coldplay’s Brian Eno-produced fourth album be out this spring? Some UK-based online retailers have already listed the album with a May 19 release date and the title Prospekt, and sources close to the band tell Hollywood Insider that an announcement is imminent. Frontman Chris Martin said late last year that the band was very close to finishing the record, which would clock in at 43 minutes. Our sources say that the record will see a proper physical release (as in a CD, not just digital download) via EMI.
The band is expected to make an official announcement about the new record on their website, coldplay.com, some time this week, following a major announcement from EMI. On Tuesday, the company plans to lay out a strategy involving massive cut-backs to its work force in the label’s latest attempt to streamline its business. Guy Hands, whose company Terra Firma took over EMI last year, will address employees via teleconference. “Everyone is bracing themselves,” says an EMI insider. “Potentially, there will be a sizable shredding of artists, especially bands that are underperforming, as well as consolidation and centralization of the creative and business sides.” Likewise, adds the source, a band like Coldplay would “probably want to wait and see how things shake out before announcing their next album.” A spokesperson for Capitol Music Group, the band’s U.S. label, says, “The band is still in the studio. No official release date has been set.”


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LONDON — Fashion designer Khalid Al Qasimi, born Sheikh Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasim, passed away in London on Monday at the age of 39.
Qasimi moved to the U.K. at nine and graduated from Central Saint Martins BA Womenswear pathway. He launched his brand in 2008 with designer Elliott James Frieze, and has been showing on the official men’s fashion week calendar in London and Paris.
He was the crown prince and second son of the ruler of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. His elder brother, Sheikh Mohammed bin Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, died from a drug overdose in 1999 at the age of 24 at the family’s home in East Grinstead in the U.K.
Three days of mourning have been declared in the emirate and flags have been ordered to fly at half mast.
UAE’s Ministry of Presidential Affairs said in a statement that “President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan mourns with grief and sorrow the death of Sheikh Khalid bin Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the son of the Ruler of Sharjah, praying to Allah the Almighty to rest his soul in peace, and grant his family patience and solace.”
Frieze said “I’m shocked and saddened by Khalid’s passing. My thoughts and prayers go out to his entire family and his design team. He lives on in all of us and will never be forgotten.”
Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz, former editor in chief of Vogue Arabia, said on Instagram, “May you rest in paradise Khalid, you always brought joy to everyone around you and you will be missed.”
Caroline Rush, chief executive officer of British Fashion Council, said “Khalid Qasimi was a talented young designer whose collections were modern, elegant and forward thinking. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues.”
Tom Van Dorpe, who is a close friend and a stylist to the brand, said on Instagram: “Khalid. I’m heartbroken. I never lost a friend before. You were so gifted, so bright, so kind! What we [built] together was so meaningful! Sending strength to your family and many friends. We lost someone really special. Rest in peace Khalid.”
Most recently, the designer was involved in a controversy with Vetements as the brand featured a T-shirt that read “Don’t shoot” in Arabic, French and English, in its spring 2020 show collection in Paris. The T-shirt is a semi-replica of one originally worn by journalists in Lebanon during the Israeli invasion of the country in 1982. Qasimi showcased his own replica of the T-shirt in 2018.
“This T-shirt was something very personal to me. We’ve reworked it to highlight issues of the Middle East and what’s happening in the Middle East at the moment,” he told Highsnobiety.
The designer showcased his spring 2020 collection in June, where he expressed a sense of hope and positivity to the war-torn Middle East.


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It seems LG, Samsung, and Microsoft are racing towards #foldageddon to put out a smartphone-cum-foldable tablet.
LG has posted a new YouTube video that asks what people want in an ideal smartphone. At the end, LG asks you to “imagine how your wishes will come to life,” and then hints it will all happen in February.
LG has unveiled a new range of Tone personal wearable speakers, headphones, and buds at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show, with a surround sound model gaining the most attention.
Alex, really good interview navigating the breadth of our current Covid norm and the scope of Zebra's technology path in[…]
Fletcher is continuing to reinforce his reputation of being an irrelevant twit who should be prosecuted for thieving oxygen.
i'm sure the merger may be ok... but you still have the lack of 5G issue.
Maybe he wants to make it out that it is 200,000 premises now.Watch this space, it may be 300,000 soon,[…]
and I am on ADSL2+ shaped (13Mb/s), not fair.Why am I shaped, who knows, I am writing to the Ombudsman[…]


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Various nonprofit agencies and local governments will offer County residents multiple opportunities to assist the less fortunate this holiday season.
The Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless (MCCH) has launched its annual holiday giving. Those wishing to contribute may visit the organization’s website (www.mcch.net) to make a financial donation or choose a specific gift request to fulfill. All donated gifts should be brought or shipped unwrapped to the MCCH office, to the attention of Holiday Giving, at 600-B East Gude Drive, Rockville, 20850.
“For many people whom we serve, donated gifts are the only gifts they receive during the holidays,” said Debbie Ezrin, Director of development and communications for MCCH. “It’s so wonderful to see our community come together. There’s a great joy in giving someone exactly the gift they asked for, but financial contributions are the most useful way to support out work. Eighty-seven percent of every dollar we receive goes directly to aiding our clients.”
The Bethesda-based anti-poverty nonprofit organization A Wider Circle has set the goal of providing assistance to 10,000 area children this year. Contributors may make financial donations, sponsor a family in need by filling their wish list, or donating toys and volunteering to serve as elves at the “North Pole,” the organization’s Bethesda warehouse where referred families can come in December to pick up gifts.
“The best part of our program is always seeing people who otherwise might not have had a chance to celebrate the holidays get to do so,” said Dr. Mark Bergel, founder of A Wider Circle. “I’ve always been of the perspective that to live in poverty is to suffer from an injustice, and the holiday-giving program provides just a small bit of uplift to someone in that situation. I also love seeing the connection between families who come shopping at the North Pole.”
Information about A Wider Circle and how to contribute is available at their website: www.awidercircle.org.
The City of Rockville has launched its annual Holiday Drive. They are seeking donations of food items to help families have Thanksgiving dinner in November and toys to be given to families in December. All donations should be delivered to Rockville City Hall or any Rockville community center.
For more than 45 years, the Holiday Drive has been a Rockville tradition, providing Thanksgiving meals and holiday gifts to families in need in the community,” said Sarah Dickinson, the Community Services Program Analyst for Rockville’s Department of Parks and Recreation. “Thanks to the generosity of residents, businesses, schools, churches and community organizations, we distribute nearly 500 Thanksgiving meal boxes, plus about 1,000 toys for the December holidays. This year, the need is especially great. There have been 736 City of Rockville households referred for Thanksgiving help in 2018 – 76 more than last year. We are requesting contributions of healthy food, including low-sodium or no-sugar canned goods and whole-wheat pasta. Additionally, the drive expanded last year to give a new book to every child, from infants to teenagers, and we hope to continue this initiative. The success of the Holiday Drive relies on monetary contributions from the community as well as food and toy drives and donated Giant and Target gift cards.”
For more information, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/holidaydrive.
From 7 to 11 p.m. on Nov. 21, the Town of Kensington will host acclaimed local band The Nighthawks at the Kensington Armory for the 15th annual town dance, which benefits Bethesda Help and the 20895 Hunger Free Zone. Tickets are $10 at the door, and attendees are also asked to bring non-perishable food items or a gift card of at least $10 to Safeway or Giant.
“The Town donates the use of the Armory to the Nighthawks with the agreement that proceeds, which include canned food, cash & grocery gift cards, from the event go to Bethesda Help and St. Paul’s UMC Kensington, the Hunger Free Zone food distribution program to families living in the 20895 zip code,” said Kensington Mayor Tracey Furman. “The Town will once again be participating in the Toys for Tots collection, Nov. 19 through Dec. 15. Toys can be dropped off at Town Hall during business hours.”
For more information, visit tok.md.gov.


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By Netchai Moldes
Now you can experience music like it's never been before as One Music PH.
Obe Music PH is ABS-CBN’s newest music hub where you can not only download, listen, and watch exclusive videos but also upload your own music.
Top OPM artists performed at the One Music PH launch on "ASAP" yesterday, including Yeng Constantino, Juris, Jed Madela, Erik Santos, Jona, Morissette, Janella Salavador, "Pinoy Big Brother 737" teen winners Bailey May and Ylona Garcia, Marion Aunor, Kaye Cal, and Toni Gonzaga.
Watch their performance here:
Meanwhile, preparations are in full swing for Yeng Constantino's digital concert being mounted by One Music PH. It's the first-ever digital concert for a Pinoy artist and it's to celebrate the Pop-Rock singer-songwriter's 10 years in the music industry.
Her post on Instagram went:
"Malapit na ang aking Digital Concert sa www.OneMusic.ph Mag-register na para live nyo akong mapanuod sa cellfone, laptop o tablet/ipad nyo for FREE! thanks Direk @alco_guerrero for the photo."
Yeng's digital concert will be on June 19.
"Want to be a part of Yeng's Digital Concert on June 19? Register now at onemusic.ph #OneMusicYENG10," went a separate post by One Music.
For more details, go to www.onemusic.ph and register for an account.
The ultimate online fan experience gets even better here at starcinema.com.ph
. See other latest news here,
visit our online store
, and talk about your favorite stars, movies, and TV shows on Fans Speak
For more updates:
Follow Star Cinema:
Google Plus: ABSstarcinema
For more updates on your favorite Star Cinema movies, continue to visit www.starcinema.com.ph


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Christian Hallerberg, spokesman for BSW Solar, told PV Tech on Thursday that the report, currently published in German only, is in the process of being translated and will hopefully be available in English during next week.
Safety standards for energy storage systems, which is a relatively new technology in terms of widespread deployment, has been an issue of concern for many in the solar and electrical industries for some time. Standardisation of safety rules is still being developed, even in Germany which has a rapidly maturing market for energy storage systems, with some industry sources predicting that residential system sales in the country will number in the tens of thousands within a handful of years. Testing and consultation firm TÜV SÜD began issuing its own certificates for safety standards in August.
The 24-page report has been compiled in conjunction with BSW Solar’s energy storage counterpart, the Federal Association of Energy Storage (BVES) and related trade associations in the electrical and technology sector. Testing laboratories VDE, TUV Rheinland and CETECOM agreed on uniform test criteria for the study.
According to BSW Solar, the three main areas that the guide covers are that storage devices should not cause safety hazards even in the case of a system error, a set of recommended objectives for manufacturers to pursue and the need for an industry-wide set of rules and standards for safety. The association also calls for further contributions on the topic from industry participants not already involved in producing the guide.
Unsurprisingly for a country that raced ahead to get its solar industry to maturity, Germany has been among the international forward-thinkers on storage, offering a financial support scheme that offers a contribution to the upfront cost of lithium-ion storage systems. The scheme, according to some, has been more successful in fostering awareness of energy storage paired with solar among the wider public than in actually resulting in installations. This is due to the perceived complicated nature of the subsidy scheme’s rules.
Residential storage systems in production at German manufacturer Sonnenbatterie. Image: Sonnenbatterie.
SMA, the inverter manufacturer, which participated in creating the new guide, told PV Tech the document will go some way to “filling the gap” until certified standards and norms can be created and adopted at an industry-wide level.
“SMA welcomes the report which for the first time gives guidance for the manufacturing and operating for storage systems and fills the gap until final norms and standards will be developed,” a spokeswoman said.
“We are now seeking to get the respective certification for the Sunny Boy Smart Energy [storage battery inverter]. Safety has highest priority for SMA in the development of our storage systems.”
The International Battery and Energy Storage Alliance (IBESA), recently put out a brief set of interviews with experts and industry figures on the same subject, in preparation for a white paper which the trade body will publish early in the New Year. According to an interview in the IBESA report with Thomas Timke, an expert on lithium-ion at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), in such a new industry, there is a danger that a genuine understanding of safety issues could be overlooked in favour of marketing and advertising hype.
Speaking specifically about lithium iron phosphate batteries, which are widely considered to be safer than some other chemistries, Timke said nonetheless that the batteries are not without their risks and that consumers should be cautious over marketing claims.
“…Intrinsic safety of cells or the cells’ inability to catch fire are nothing but advertising slogans. I have never heard anything like this from the cell designers at the cell producers,” Timke said.
“Lithium iron phosphate is a great material, which has developed very well in the past few years, for example with respect to cycle durability. But a good safety behaviour and cycle durability of cells is only given with a high production quality.”
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Office messaging app Slack is changing its logo because it says the current one "pained" the company and was "simply awful."
It will no longer use the colorful hashtag that it used when it launched in 2013 and has instead designed a four-color logo using lozenge and speech bubble shapes.
While the company says it liked elements of its original logo, its 11 colors made it very easy to get wrong, the firm said in a blog post Wednesday.
"If placed on any color other than white, or at the wrong angle (instead of the precisely prescribed 18-degree rotation), or with the colors tweaked wrong, it looked terrible. It pained us … Simply awful," the post, authored by Slack Team, stated.
The post included versions of the old logo against different backgrounds, and said it had to develop three different ones, including a black-and-white version and a square checked option.
The new version uses fewer colors but isn't a million miles from the original, Slack said. It worked with design agency Pentagram on the project, led by partner Michael Bierut, and considered using emojis, dots and different versions of the hashtag (or "octothorpe") when creating the new logo according to a post on Pentagram's website.
Logos are used by companies aiming to make their business instantly recognizable — and changing them can cause a backlash. In 2010, Gap changed its logo typeface to a simple black lettering with a blue square superimposed over the "P" but within days returned to its original long font with the brand name written in upper case letters after people called it "tacky" and "cheap." In 2014, Airbnb updated its logo from a blue italic design to a red "Belo," which the company said is a symbol of belonging. Some people weren't happy, saying it looked like different body parts, but the company stuck by it.
Top companies in the tech sector have similar-looking logos, using a lot of blue because it's a symbol of "trustworthiness and security" according to an August 2018 study by freelance marketplace 99designs. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Intel and IBM use shades of blue for their entire logos, while Microsoft and Google incorporate it into theirs. Slack's new logo includes some blue, with green, pink and yellow against a purple or white background.
Slack said the logo would run on its smartphone, tablet and PC apps to start with, followed by its website and in advertising, but it did not confirm exact dates. The company is expected to go public this year with a direct listing because it has about $900 million of cash on its balance sheet, according to a report on The Information website.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Slack's hashtag logo is called an "octothorpe."


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Trend-setting New York is set to become the first city in the United States to limit the amount of trans fatty acids in all items on restaurant menus. The radical move, proposed by the city's health officials, is a reflection of growing concern over the consumption of trans fat. This is a specific type of fat artificially created through the partial hydrogenation of oils, mainly of vegetable origin. There is a growing body of medical evidence on the link between trans fat consumption and coronary heart disease; a study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health suggests that removing trans fats from industrial food supplies can prevent tens of thousands of heart attacks and cardiac deaths in the U.S. every year. While both saturated fat and trans fat increase the levels of artery-clogging "bad cholesterol" (low density lipids), trans fat has been shown to reduce the levels of "good cholesterol" (high density lipids), thus heightening the risk of heart disease. Dietary trans fat is inessential and has no known health benefit. While traces of it occur naturally in meat and dairy products, its use in the processed food industry mainly in snack foods, fried and baked is wholly a matter of convenience. Foods made with trans fat have a higher melting point, enjoy a longer shelf life, and require less refrigeration. However, the public health costs of such commercial expediency are much too high.
The processed food industry in various countries is under increased pressure to label trans fat content. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has made it mandatory for food manufacturers to list trans fat content as a separate line on labels from January 1, 2006. But is labelling enough to tackle the global problem of diet-related disease and obesity? It certainly helps, but the World Health Organisation recommends that if labelling does not lead to significant reductions of trans fat consumption, all countries must phase out the processing of oils by partial hydrogenation. Special interests opposing such a phase-out will find it difficult to sustain the argument following the encouraging experience of Denmark, which adopted radical legislation severely limiting the content of trans fatty acids in oils and fats. Not only have alarmists who warned this would cripple the food trade been proved wrong. Large food manufacturers have fallen in line with the law, modified their products, and prepared themselves for more restrictions. The Danish model has shown that artificial trans fat can be eliminated through enlightened state policy and legislation. India must follow suit.


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Thursday, November 20, 2014
Watch out Google Here Comes Yahoo, Firefox Drops Google for Yahoo Search Engine
Mozilla's browser have chosen Yahoo as its default search engine, Google has been the default search engine on Mozilla's Firefox browsers since 2004. Firefox will be using Yahoo Search Engine starting December.
Yahoo has said that they will be launching a brand new, “clean, modern and immersive design” that will match Firefox’s sleek new look. Mozilla Firefox and Google has been at odds with each other that started when Google created their own browser, Google Chrome.
Starting December Firefox users will automatically be redirected to Yahoo’s search website if they use the search feature that is located on the upper right corner of the browser. Mozilla has also partnered with China based search engine Baidu and Russian Yandex search engine. These search engines will also be made into Firefox’s default program in starting December.


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Campbell’s Soup to Sell Bolthouse Farms Brand in Refocusing Effort
Pitchbook data reveals that $43.6 billion in capital was spent on 27 M&A deals throughout last week, $28.4 billion more capital than the week before but on two fewer deals. Chevron (NYS: CVX) shelled out $33 billion to acquire Texas-based Anadarko Petroleum (NYS: APC) in the week’s largest deal.
Uber Files for IPO, Citing Cash Set Aside for Driver’s to Purchase Shares
According to the New York Stock Exchange, three companies listed with U.S. stock exchanges last week, all on the NYSE. The three firms – Tufin Software, PagerDuty and Jumia Technologies – raised total capital of $521.3 million, $1.1 billion less than the week before. Uber also officially filed for its long-awaited $1-billion IPO. In the filing, the firm revealed that it set aside up to $10 thousand per driver for common stock share purchases, with amounts based on the number of lifetime trips.
Consumer Sentiment and Job Openings Decline as Fed Reconsiders Policy Change
Among economic news last week:


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Cargo has undeniably been a lifeline for the aviation industry during COVID-19. Before the pandemic, cargo typically made up around 12 percent of the sector’s total revenue; that percentage is believed to have tripled last year.
In fact, recent data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) shows that demand for the global air cargo market has recovered to pre-pandemic levels. With January being up 1.1% compared to 2019, February up by 9% and March by 4.4%.This is partly because many airline companies have utilised their main passenger cabins as cargo space for over a year, helping to plug the shortfall in both the air freight and aviation industries.
However, with the return of international travel, all that is set to end, as seats are once again occupied by passengers. And as commercial flights gradually return, belly supply will increase, although it is not expected to reach pre-COVID-19 levels for at least a few years. And that could spell trouble for the cargo industry.
As airlines refocus on passengers over products and cargo returns to mainly belly supply, the question needs to be asked: is there enough demand from passengers to help right the ship?
Latest figures suggest forward bookings for the summer are down 78%, and while many are hopeful the ongoing vaccine rollout in developed countries will bring back customers in the second half of the year, is that quick enough for airlines already burdened with debt?
The IATA recently downgraded its outlook for the year because of the worsening situation, saying it expects the industry to have negative cash flow through 2021 after previously estimating airlines would collectively break even in the fourth quarter.
Roughly 50% of the world’s air cargo goes by belly supply, and while demand for cargo may be up it is estimated that while passenger flight numbers remain at a reduced amount, there will be a shortage in capacity for air cargo of around 12-13%.
As travel restrictions ease, so will the predicted shortage but is there another danger waiting in the wings?
Before any cargo can reach its destination, flight operators must navigate several challenges including airport curfews, border restrictions and flight time limitations. Covid has only worsened with the introduction of new country-specific restrictions, such as the ‘Traffic Light’ system in the UK.
If an aircraft is permitted to land in a particular country, depending on where they flew from and where they landed, the crew can be subject to extensive quarantine and testing regulations. In some cases, this could see them spending up to two weeks in a hotel room upon arrival, causing severe disruption to the operator. Without a crew, there’s no aircraft and without an aircraft they can’t make other vital cargo journeys.
As countries are expected to be able to shift from one tier of the system to another, sometimes with minimal warning, these regulations have the potential to wreak havoc on cargo taken by passenger flights.
An Uncertain Future
It is difficult to overstate just how much the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated airlines and by extension the impact it has played on the air cargo industry.
The rise of the so-called Preighter, a passenger plane acting as a freighter, has undoubtedly softened the blow and helped the industry bounce back faster. However, there are still challenging times ahead.
Despite some of the uncertainties that still hang over both airlines and air freight services, the IATA is forecasting a 13% growth in the share of cross-border trade taken by air.
However, for all the devastation that the pandemic has caused for aviation, there is one positive thing going forward.By estimates, the Covid crisis has accelerated the global transition to ecommerce by around five years.
Which will only benefit providers of cargo transportation in the years to come as Sav Aulakh from Freightline Carriers explains.
Sav Aulakh, Managing Director at Freightline, says: “There is no denying how difficult the last year has been for the industry as a whole but we are slowly seeing signs of recovery. And with that comes the need to look ahead, past Covid. We already knew that online ordering would shape the industry’s future, but the pandemic has provided us with a snapshot of what that really looks like for local freight transport providers and what steps the industry needs to take in order to make sure we are ready for that future.
“For the aviation industry, in particular, there is a lot of opportunity at the moment to better prepare themselves for that future. As we’ve seen over the last year, passenger aircraft can be used to transport cargo when passenger flights are impossible. Investing in this idea of the ‘Preighter’ now while demand for cargo is so high would allow airline operators to investigate short- to medium-term opportunities to boost their cargo services without the risks involved in maintaining a larger dedicated freighter fleet.”


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Asia Pacific sees better trading financing ahead-poll
Trade financing should improve over the next six months as the global economy climbs out of recession, a survey of trade officials in 18 Asia Pacific economies showed.world Updated: Jul 18, 2009 14:07 IST
Trade financing should improve over the next six months as the global economy climbs out of recession, a survey of trade officials in 18 Asia Pacific economies showed.
The survey found trade finance was an area of concern for members of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and it will be on the agenda when trade ministers and top officials from 21 countries meet next week in Singapore.
The study, conducted by host Singapore, showed 16 out of 18 APEC economies surveyed said they faced some problems in trade financing, but 10 of them expected the situation to improve over the next six months.
"The most commonly cited reasons for tightness in trade financing were increased risk aversion of financial institutions towards companies, higher perceived counterparty risks, and general liquidity shortage in the economy," the survey said.
The survey's optimism on the outlook for trade financing was in line with a projection by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria told Reuters earlier this month that trade finance had gone "from being closed at the beginning the year to now being selectively more open".
Global trade flows are expected to fall 10 percent this year, with sharp drops already seen in emerging markets in Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa. This is due both to dried-up credit and dampened consumer demand. APEC trade ministers are due to meet on Tuesday in the city-state.
APEC, founded in 1989, has 21 members that represent more than 50 percent of global GDP, and are home to some 2.7 billion people, or 40 percent of the world's population. China, Russia and the United States are three of the group's largest members.


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Fact check of internet for online education in soi-disant Digital India
Recent declarations for blended learning and some courses being taught in online mode as an option amid Covid-19 scenario need honest thinking concerning internet access in view of the digital divide in the country.
Updated 17 Jun 2020, 5:16 am
India witnessed the nucleation of digital initiatives way back in 2014 with the formation of a Digital India Group for evolving innovative ideas and solutions to make Digital India. In 2015, the Government of India started its flagship programme titled Digital India for creating a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. A lot of new schemes have been started by various ministries for transforming the country into Digital India. The society at large has been benefitted with the digitalization of different transactions like in banking, payments, communication, uniform public disclosure, learning resources, etc. through their efficacy, ease of operation, lesser dependence on officials, transparency, and accountability. Kudos to the government for envisioning to create Digital India. It was inevitable to keep pace with the compelling technological advancements for digitalization across the systems.
Now, with the COVID-19 necessitating physical distancing and lockdown along with various other measures, the continuance of the processes through information technology options came into much more prominence. The country witnessed an entirely new mode of operation in which most of the people started working from home with the use of computer/laptop/smartphone and internet-enabled audio-visual interactions from remote locations. The disruptions have been reasonably addressed in the sectors where the processes only needed intellectual interventions and online transactions were sufficient for the execution of the processes. Nevertheless, the quality of deliveries was not of concern in the crisis period as it primarily demanded the processes to roll on.
Like other sectors, the disruptions in education due to lockdown were also addressed through the online education model which became quite popular. Despite the concerns about the digital divide from different quarters, the online education model continued in the majority of the institutions barring a few, whose stakeholders questioned its feasibility concerning access and quality. Recent declarations for blended learning and some courses being taught in online mode as an option need honest thinking concerning its access. This is quite relevant as access requires online infrastructure with the students which requires financial support from the family of the student. The cost of education being met by the students in the country makes the education sector different from other sectors from the use of the IT facilities' viewpoint.
Undoubtedly, the uninterrupted access offered by the technology in the Digital India program holds the key to solve a lot of problems in society. But, the current state in this regard should be assessed from the internet statistics as the internet is the basic requirement for digital transactions in the country. There has been a huge expansion of internet connectivity, however, the availability of high speed and reliable broadband connectivity all-time for all in the country is still a dream. For quite some time public Wi-fi hotspots are established to provide ubiquitous access to the internet. TRAI mentions in one of its reports that the mobile users in major economies of the world depend on Wi-Fi for about 50 to 70 per cent of total usage. While it is less than 10 per cent in India meaning thereby that Wi-Fi technology requires expansion to provide affordable broadband internet connectivity.
The Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) up to September 2019 states the number of total internet subscribers in the country to be 687.62 million out of which the broadband subscribers are 625.42 million and rest are narrowband subscribers. Out of the total internet subscribers, there are 439.99 million urban internet subscribers and 247.63 million rural internet subscribers. As per this report, the Per capita internet subscribers are 0.5208 which means there are 52.08 internet subscribers per 100 population of the country. While the number of internet subscribers per 100 population is 27.57 for rural internet subscribers and 104.25 urban internet subscribers per 100 population. In context to the broadcasting and cable services, the total active subscribers with pay DTH operators is 69.30 million. These numbers should be seen in light of India’s total population of more than 1300 million.
The numbers report for nearly half of the country’s population having access to the internet. As per statistics available on www.statista.com, the number of smartphone users in India hovers around 402 million. While the number of television households was around 195 million in 2019. Similarly, the number of personal computers per 100 people in Indian households was 3.13 in 2007 as per World Bank collection of development indicators which might have risen significantly by now.
The statistics of internet penetration and availability of interfaces like smartphone/TV/computer/laptop in Indian households is not suitable for embedding the conventional education processes with online resource sharing and teaching. The integration of on-campus face to face teaching with online teaching in blended mode is feasible, provided the institutions ensure high-speed broadband internet connectivity with its all stakeholders i.e. enrolled students and teachers. It will not be unreasonable on the part of education providers to get the internet connectivity status before venturing into the substitution of any portion of regular teaching with online teaching. All caution must be taken to ensure that access to education is not curtailed on account of the unavailability of IT resources or facilities.
Undoubtedly, the country is marching fast on its way to become Digital India and will accomplish the goal in the near future. But the present digital connectivity gaps hinders enforcing complete digital transactions in the sectors involving individual level internet connectivity procurement. The varying economic standing of the country’s citizenry should not act as a deterrent in the intellectually propelled process of learning.
First published:17 Jun 2020, 4:52 am
online educationdigital indiaonline silutionsfact check of internet
Founder Vice-Chancellor of Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Harcourt Butler Technical University, Kanpur, UP.
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Due to an increase in customer complaints regarding charges for vehicle damage, travel technology company CarTrawler has suspended Green Motion from the CarTrawler platform for reservations in its U.K. locations while the customer service issues are being reviewed.
The complaints originated from Green Motion’s UK franchise network. In a press release, CarTrawler said it had raised the issue with Green Motion executives, upon which both organizations agreed on Wednesday to the “immediate and indefinite suspension” of its offerings on CarTrawler’s platform.
Richard Lowden, the CEO of Green Motion International, the global franchisors of the Green Motion brand, told Auto Rental News that his company is examining the practices of its UK franchise network to resolve the issue. In the meantime, Green Motion’s supply agreements for 33 other countries on the CarTrawler platform remain active, Lowden said.
“We truly value our long standing partnership with CarTrawler and its associated brands and take very seriously the level of service we deliver to our mutual customers,” Lowden said in the statement released by CarTrawler. “We are clearly disappointed that a number of our U.K. locations have fallen short on the expectations of CarTrawler and are committed to working with CarTrawler to ensure that each and every one of Green Motion's locations in the U.K. more than exceeds the expected levels of customer service.”
During this process, CarTrawler said it will honor all current bookings that had been made with Green Motion.
“We look forward to reinstating Green Motion’s UK locations again when they have been able to demonstrate that their customer service has improved and meets our standards again,” CarTrawler CEO said in a statement Cormac Barry.
Lowden added that he’s working on getting the suspension lifted by as early as possible.
Related: Green Motion CEO Makes Green Fleet 100 Most Influential List
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Building-sector companies from Brazil participating in the Big 5 Show began closing deals right from the start of the construction sector trade fair, which started this Sunday, November 23, in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.
Trading company WK, based in the city of Curitiba, capital of the state of Paraná, which works with wood products, received an order from a distributor of construction material from Dubai. "It was a good order," said the sales director at the company from Paraná, Igor Kaufeld.
Dividing the space at the stand with him is Damaris Eugênia ívila da Costa, director at trading company Braseco. She received visitors interested in glasses, metal tiles and ceramic tiles. The clients were from the Emirates, Lebanon, and African countries.
Another person who was satisfied with the first day was Diogo Resende, of Atlas, a company from the state of Rio Grande do Sul that manufactures painting equipment. "It was great, the structure of the stand helped, but our placement was essential," he said.
The Brazilian space is located near one of the main entrances to the exhibition pavilion of the Dubai World Trade Center (DWTC).
Resende claims to have made good contacts that "are going to turn into actual sales." Most sought products were brushes, and the main interested parties were distributors from the Middle East. "They are interested in quality, in order to add value to their product portfolio," he said.
In tun, the director at Lockwell, a company that makes door handles and locks, Gerson Galeazi, stated that, judging from attendance in the first day, the Big 5 has proved better than other international events that he has participated in. The company has already gone on trade missions to Argentina and Panama. "This fair is by far the one that generates the greatest expectations," he stated.
Galeazi said that some of the visitors became interested in purchasing the sample items. The products that attracted the most attention, according to him, were a new line, featuring details in certified wood, and golden models.
Most of the contacts were made with representatives of construction companies and storeowners, according to Galeazi. He also said that the businessmen seek to secure their supplies, therefore during the fair the executive is going to make contacts in order to appoint a local agent.
In the area of granites, Granibras received visitors who made a point of coming back for further talks. "It was good, we had lots of visits," said the CEO at the company based in the city of São Paulo, Paulo Sérgio Gasparini. He was taken aback by the popularity of items regarded as exotic, such as the Golden Persa, a stone of orange tone with black stripes that is extracted in the state of Bahia.
Granibras is participating in the da Big 5 for the first time and mostly received traders and engineers.
And who is to say that electric showers only exist in Brazil? According to the export manager at Lorenzetti, Renato Nakasubo, there was great interest in the models traditionally manufactured by the company, as they are small and warm up bathing water at a low cost.
"The product is already well internationalized," he said. Most of the visitors were consultants who sell to construction companies. The company wants to make direct sales for the real estate developers, and received people from the Emirates, Iran, Syria, Libya and Angola.
Lorenzetti also brought to the fair its line of bathroom metals, but in that field, according to Nakasubo, competition is fierce.
By the way, competition is going on even within the Brazilian stand. Poly, which also manufactures metals, received heavyweight visitors from Kuwait and Egypt, who were mainly interested in hygienic showers. According to the company representative, Denis Perez Martins, importers should return in the coming days.
The fair opened late in the morning. The inauguration was made by the deputy ruler of Dubai, Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He walked around the pavilion and stopped at several stands, among them that of Brazil, where he was welcomed by the Marketing vice president at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Rubens Hannun, the secretary general, Michel Alaby, and directors Bechara Ibrahim and Nahid Chicani.
Maktoum asked how many companies are exhibiting, what their products are, and how many times has Brazil participated in the exhibition. In total, the stand has 37 exhibitors, and this is the sixth time that the country is represented in the Big 5. The space is organized by the Arab Brazilian Chamber and the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex).


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— Little Sleepy Head skincare products were recently featured in lifestyle blogger Obsessed by Portia’s “Summer Favorites” post containing all her new finds that she’d tried, reviewed and loved.
The post specifically spotlighted the Little Sleepy Head Daily Rehydrating Sunscreen, Hydrating Lotion and Gentle Hair and Body Wash. Portia underscored how thrilled she was when the brand launched its skincare essentials line. The post applauded all three products as being “perfect for my sensitive little girls.” The lifestyle blogger also pointed to the soothing lavender and chamomile in the bath time products and how much she and her girls enjoyed those botanical ingredients.
This is not the first time the brand has made its way into the popular lifestyle blog’s posts. As Portia said, she already knows the Little Sleepy Head team members “design the best products for our sweet kiddos.” Back in December, Obsessed by Portia featured a “Pretty in Pink” bedroom design for her six year-old daughter, whose bed was topped off with a Little Sleepy Head toddler pillow and pillowcase in the Pink Marble print.
Little Sleepy Head bath and body care products were launched earlier this year and have skyrocketed in popularity. Their natural and botanical-rich formulas held instant appeal to the brand’s loyal customers who were already familiar with the quality and care that goes into every American-made product the company sells.
Each product is carefully made to ensure that it is appropriate for babies and kids with even the most sensitive skin. As such, these products are made without phthalates, paragons, sulfates, mineral oil, dyes, colorants or chemical fragrances. Parents love them for their kids and individuals with certain skin conditions such as rosacea, lupus, acne and others have found that they tolerate it very well, too.
For more information about Little Sleepy Head and its products, visit the official website at www.LittleSleepyHead.com.
Release ID: 223300


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Excellent John K. Kumi is a cryptocurrency and fintech enthusiast, operations manager of a fintech platform, writer, researcher, and a huge fan of creative writing. With an Economics background, he finds much interest in the invisible factors that causes price change in anything measured with valuation. He has been in the crypto/blockchain space in the last five (5) years. He mostly watches football highlights and movies in his free time.
In the early trading hours in Hong Kong, the Alibaba stock had a 9.4% pullback, erasing about $26 billion off its value.
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE: BABA) suffered a massive loss after a report by a Chinese Media created fear and panic among investors. According to the state broadcaster CCTV, authorities in the city of Hangzhou where the e-commerce company is headquartered have taken action against an individual whose surname is Ma. According to the report, the individual used the internet to engage in activities that endangered the life of nationals, and his name consists of two Chinese characters. This in response triggered a massive sell-off as investors assumed the individual in question was Jack Ma, the co-founder of Alibaba.
In the early trading hours in Hong Kong, the Alibaba stock had a 9.4% pullback, erasing about $26 billion off its value. Later, the broadcaster revised the report to clarify that the suspected individual in question is not Jack Ma, stating that the person rather has three Chinese character names. Soon after the revision, investors’ interest became stronger as the Alibaba stock recouped most of its losses. As of the time of writing this article, the stock was 1.7% down.
Steven Leung, a sales director at brokerage UOB Kay Hian in a statement admitted that the revision played a huge role in calming down the panicking investors. He said:
“Talk that a guy with the surname Ma in Hangzhou helped out an investigation triggered the panic, but as clarification came up… (it helped) calm down the market.”
According to Willer Chen, an analyst at Forsyth Barr Asia Ltd, the quick reversal is a serious cause for concern as it shows how weak sentiments dominate the tech space. “I think the market is just a bit too sensitive on this,” he said.
Research discloses that the suspected individual who has been the center of this report works for an IT company as the director of hardware research and development. In addition to his previous charge, he was accused of “inciting subversion of state power” and was put under a compulsory measure on April 25.
In the last couple of years, the shares of Alibaba and other tech companies have been under immense pressure following regulatory crackdowns in the region for data privacy, anti-monopoly, and other rules violations.
In October 2020, he gave a speech accusing financial authorities of stifling innovation. Since then, his business has come under a couple of crackdowns with investors always on high alert. Two days before its planned debut, the $37 billion listing of Jack Ma’s fintech company, Ant Group, was halted in 2020. An antitrust investigation was also launched into his businesses resulting in a $2.75 billion fine for Alibaba in 2021.


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* CEO says Nokia made wrong decision on Microsoft tie-up
* Says decision was financially motivated
* Says will look for new MeeGo partners
* Dismisses ARM’s prospects in servers (Adds further comments on PC outlook, ARM competition)
By Paul Sandle
LONDON, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Intel Corp (INTC.O) said its partner Nokia dropped the MeeGo operating system after Microsoft offered “incredible” amounts of money for the phonemaker to switch to Windows but it would find new partners for MeeGo.
Intel’s Chief Executive Paul Otellini said in a meeting with analysts in London, accessed by Reuters via conference call, that Nokia’s NOK1V.HE choice of Microsoft (MSFT.O) over Google’s (GOOG.O) Android platform was a financial decision. [ID:nLDE71A0DG]
Otellini said Nokia’s Chief Executive Stephen Elop received “incredible offers — money” from Google and Microsoft to switch.
“I wouldn’t have made the decision he made, I would probably have gone to Android if I were him,” he said. “MeeGo would have been the best strategy but he concluded he couldn’t afford it.”
Microsoft was not immediately available for comment.
Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Wednesday that he had held extensive talks to try to woo Nokia. [ID:nLDE71F026]
Otellini said Nokia would find it hard to differentiate using the Windows platform: “It would have been less hard on Android, on MeeGo he could have done it.”
“We will find another partner. The carriers still want a third ecosystem and the carriers want an open ecosystem, and that’s the thing that drives our motivation,” he said.
MeeGo was created last year by the merger of Nokia and Intel’s Linux-based platforms Maemo and Moblin. [ID:nLDE61E0Z2]
Otellini said in Barcelona that open systems had the edge over closed systems: “Some closed models will certainly survive, because you can optimise the experience, but in general, if you harness the ability of all the engineers in the world and the developers in the world, open wins.” [ID:nLDE71F1II]
In his meeting with analysts on Thursday, Otellini tackled head on what he said was the elephant in the room: the rise of tablets at the expense of PCs.
“(The view that) ‘PCs are dead and tablets are going to eat our lunch and there’s no growth in the PC market’, let me just say ‘bunk’ to that,” he said.
Last year was one of the strongest growth years ever for PC unit sales with a 17 percent rise, he said, and Intel forecasts unit growth in the low double-digits again this year driven by notebook sales in emerging markets.
Intel’s chips, which generally have high power but are energy hungry, have not yet found a use in mobile phones or tablets, where manufacturers favour chip’s designed by British firm ARM ARM.L.
Otellini said one problem with the perceived Intel versus ARM battle was that there was no ARM, in the sense that ARM’s chips were made by 1,200 licensees.
“There’s no architecture consistency,” he said. “It is a big expensive, hard job to create persistence in your architecture over multiple generations: that’s what we do exceptionally well.”
He also dismissed ARM’s prospects in the server market. The British company has said some of its chipmaker partners are working on processors for servers, and products could be on the market in five years. [ID:nLDE69421E]
“I don’t see anytime soon ARM having the software capability, the computer architecture, the transistor performance to be able to become a factor in servers,” Otellini said. “AMD AMD.N is much more potent as a server competitor than the ARM guys ever will be.” (Editing by Mark Potter and David Cowell)


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News and Media
The unstoppable rise of the online marketplace model – operated by the likes of Amazon, Expedia and eBay – is driving the largest fundamental shift in consumer spending since the emergence of eCommerce in the 1990s, a report by OC&C Strategy Consultants has found.
3i Group invests $179m in Magnitude Software
We congratulate 3i on the successful acquisition of Magnitude Software. 3i is investing alongside Chris Ney, Chairman and CEO of Magnitude, and other senior executives, who will maintain a significant minority stake in the business
Poles apart: how polarisation is changing the face of global news
Toby Chapman assesses the political climate's impact on news organisations
Great Hill Partners acquire Gizmodo Media Group and The Onion from Univision
We congratulate Great Hill Partners on the successful acquisition of Gizmodo Media Group and The Onion from Univision
Deep-diving into Alibaba’s “New Retail” grocery stores
The “omni-channel” buzz word has been omnipresent in most retailers’ annual reports and press releases in recent years.
Latest Education deals
Ardian acquires Study Group from Providence Equity Partners, Inflexion acquires Times Higher Education (THE) from TPG Capital, and more
Opinion: Are retailers ready for the new consumer ecosystem?
Retailers need to look beyond their industry for insight into their customers, collaborate with relevant partners and bring in new creative talent to survive in a changing business environment
International Cruise & Excursions to merge with SOR Technology
International Cruise & Excursions, Inc. (“ICE”) merge with SOR Technology (“SOR”)
Private Equity round-up
We had a very active 2018 in Private Equity and transaction support. We are delighted to have supported clients on over 200 transactions globally, working with dozens of global private equity houses across every continent
Bigger than splitting the atom: how the rise of AI has already begun
In 2018 global AI spend by businesses hit $219bn with US businesses investing $91bn and the UK lagging behind at $12bn
OC&C named by the FT as one of the UK’s Leading Management Consultants 2019
The annual rating announced by the Financial Times today marks the second consecutive year OC&C has been recognised in the Leading Management Consultants list


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Cryptocurrencies are literally “invading” the fintech industry, and insurance companies are following the lead. Leading insurers now accept digital currency payments for premiums, as they aim to enter the cryptocurrency market.
In our article, we will spotlight three top insurance companies that look forward to their Web3 future. You’ll discover the advantages this brings to their customers and gain insights into why cryptocurrency insurance is gaining traction.
Stay tuned to understand what these innovative companies offer for their customers.
Before we mention some good examples, we need to review the “WHY” factor – why do they do it? Well, cryptocurrency payments provide a unique benefit to insurers: faster settlement of transactions and reduction of costs. Insurance companies have started to adopt cryptocurrency prices as blockchains let them grab unique opportunities which just can’t be missed.
If you want to buy Bitcoin to pay for your next fee, you can do it in seconds. No more waiting in queues, no more issues if you’re traveling abroad, or hard-to-do verifications.
But here are the three main reasons to do so:
Paying your insurance with digital tokens may have been an illusion, if you asked people in the 2000s. Well, not anymore.
AXA Switzerland is setting a new trend in the insurance world by offering its customers the option to pay for their non-life insurance policies with cryptocurrency. In response to customer demand, AXA Switzerland has decided to accept Bitcoin payments and convert them into Swiss francs.
The move mirrors the growing acceptance of cryptocurrencies as a viable payment method in many different sectors, including retail, gaming, and transportation. It also makes life easier for those who want to purchase or renew their insurance without relying on traditional currencies such as good old cash or credit cards.
AXA also can add more crypto clientele, which is a strong marketing motive.
Metromile is the first insurance company to accept cryptocurrency payments and payouts. By offering policyholders an option to pay premiums and receive claim payouts in Bitcoin, Metromile has been a pioneer in the crypto-adoption journey across sectors.
The insurer views cryptocurrencies as digital assets with considerable potential. It has invested $10 million worth of Bitcoin across its holdings, embodying a strong show of faith in blockchain innovations and digital currencies overall.
Because of Metromile’s adoption of cryptocurrencies, there is now one more voice within the finance domain that openly welcomes them with open arms – something that further drives their legitimacy and increases usage amongst users manyfold.
MetLife, a global life insurer present in more than 50 countries, has become one of the first U.S. insurers to announce its use of public blockchain technology. The company has announced its embracing of Web3 technology for its customers, using Ethereum, which is an open-sourced public blockchain distributed ledger system providing greater transparency and trust between the customer and company based on immutable records stored on a decentralized platform hosted by millions around the world.
The goal of this adoption was to increase efficiency in claims processing through shared networks and decrease fraud risk while enabling improved data quality for simpler claim resolution within predetermined limits.
We have no doubts about it, as crypto converters simplify transactions and make it easy for both customers and businesses. With their help, you can move money from your bank account to a crypto wallet in seconds. Don’t be surprised if you see more insurance companies jump on the crypto bandwagon in the next few months. The crypto adoption is at an all-time high, so insurers don’t want to miss out on revenue. And quite honestly – who would?


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WhatsApp Payments Feature Based on UPI For Send And Receive Money Spotted on 2.18.41 Android,IOS Apps .WhatsApp Payments: Send And Receive Money Through WhatsApp,WhatsApp has launched person-to-person payments into beta in India IN WHATSAPP 2.18.41 Version APK Beta Version Only,Android, Apple, Apps, India, Social, UPI, WhatsApp, WhatsApp Payments.WhatsApp digital payment tests in India.WhatsApp Payments UPI-Based Feature Arrives in India on Android Phones, iPhone,WhatsApp has reportedly started testing out its UPI-based payments feature in India.WhatsApp Payments feature based on UPI spotted on Android, iOS beta.WhatsApp UPI-based payments feature available in India: Here’s how you can start sending money.Screenshots of WhatsApp’s First Peer-to-Peer Payments System Surface Online.The new feature, available for select WhatsApp beta users on iOS and Android, enables users to send and receive money using the Indian government’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) standard. This feature is said to be available on WhatsApp version 2.18.21 for iOS, and version 2.18.41 for Android.app,WhatsApp’s payment feature rolled out for select beta users. Here’s how it will work. chatapp, digitalpayments, facebook, gear, india, mobile, payments, whatsapp.Considering the large user base of the messaging app in India, the payments platform’s integration may give another boost to digital payments.WhatsApp’s long-awaited digital payments service goes live in India.
WhatsApp 2.18.41 Version beta users are getting the option to send money to their contacts using the UPI-based WhatsApp Payments service in India.
WhatsApp Payments feature based on UPI spotted on Android, iOS beta
WhatsApp has begun testing a new payments feature in India that will allow people to send money to other WhatsApp users, excluding merchant accounts. The feature is currently in beta, according to sources familiar with the company’s plans, but hasn’t been publicly announced because it’s not widely available at this time.
WhatsApp has launched Person-to-Person payments into beta in India
The company has been working on support for a payments feature for some time, which would take advantage of UPI (Unified Payments Interface) and include support by a number of Indian banks, including State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, and Axis Bank.
WhatsApp integrates UPI-based payments interface on beta
Beta testers have now found that this functionality is live, with a large list of supported banks displayed in the WhatsApp user interface.
Screenshots of WhatsApp’s First Peer-to-Peer Payments System Surface Online
WhatsApp Payments – Send And Receive Money Through WhatsApp
WhatsApp has been working on digital, peer-to-peer payments for quite some time now, and the Facebook-owned messaging company appears to have just launched the service in beta in India, one of its most important markets. TechCrunch reports that select users in India have noticed the feature popping up in both the iOS and Android version of WhatsApp, with many celebrating the launch on Twitter. Way back in April of 2017, WhatsApp confirmed it was working on a payments service specifically for India after local media reported on the upcoming feature, but it looks like it’s taken nearly a year for it to arrive, even in just a beta form.
Important Links about whatsapp payments for Sending and Receiving Money from one person to other person
Download Whatsapp 2.18.41 Android Version To Get Payments


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|Information about the Nu-View SX2000 and the H3D Video Eyewear has been added. Now you can record your own 3D videos using your camcorder. Weddings, birthdays, parties all in eye-popping 3D!
The price of the Cy-Visor DH4400VP
has been dropped to
Stereoscopic 3D NTSC IMAX DVDs
are now available and can be viewed on computer or NTSC compatible DVDs with
NVidia have just released their latest
drivers for XP/2000 and updated the existing drivers for those with
3D Revelator and
Eyeforce 3D. but not the H3D
glasses as they do not support page-flipping.
Mindflux will be closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day but will open limited hours in between. We will still be available on our usual contact numbers. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!
The F1 Simulator together with
Eyeforce 3D shutterglasses are on
display at Honda Indy 300 on the Gold Coast.
See them at the GCI Motor Expo at the Gold Coast International Hotel, 26 – 28 October 2001. Stand 14, Cnr Gold Coast Highway & Staghorn Ave, Surfers Paradise, QLD. Tel 07-5584-1200
|The new Olympus FMD-20P $1499 and FMD-250W $3199 are now available.
VFX3D was on the news recently and Les Posen kindly provided us with the
link to his page which contains the clip. It is a Quicktime file which
demonstrates the use of the VFX3D as 'Virtual Therapy' for treatment of
anxieties such as fear of flying, heights and other situations. http://homepage.mac.com/lesposen/iMovieTheater1.html
Research published in
JADA (Journal of the American Dental Association) showed that use of a
headset during dental treatment was 'beneficial
in the reduction of fear, pain and procedure time'.
|The price of the Cy-Visor has been reduced to $2499 due to price savings from the larger quantities we've been ordering. If you've been waiting for a good reason to get them, now is the time.
|The Olympus Eye-Trek FMD-200 is now available at $1499. Wear it like a pair of glasses, no headstrap and very light.
|nVidia have just released their own Stereo 3D gaming drivers which natively supports the H3D, 3D Revelator and Eyeforce glasses! Works with 100's of Direct 3D and Open GL games! Works with all nVidia based chipsets including TNT, TNT2, Vanta, Quadro, GeForce, GeForce2 and GeForce3! Get the drivers here!
|The C-Pen now supports Macintosh. Get the latest drivers from http://www.cpen.com/mac/.
|Information about the Eyeforce added.
|New drivers for viewing QuicktimeVR and IPIX files with the VFX3D. MAXimum 3D drivers to use the VFX3D with 3D Studio Max. New beta drivers for Win 2000 as well.
|itv|world have reviewed the Cy-Visor and the Eyeforce. Have a look at the news report at http://telstra.com/technology/hotstuff.html. It will be available until the 23/5/01.
you to everyone that visited our stand at the CE Show. And apologies to
everyone that did not get to try out the equipment because of the queues.
Due to the enormous interest that we received we are going to maintain the
show prices for the next two weeks unless stocks run out.
To those that we still have to catch up with, please excuse us. We are trying to attend to everyone's enquiries as best we can.
|Mindflux has moved to a bigger stand for the Consumer Electronics Show. We are now at Stand 408, between Halls 3 and 4.
on for the Consumer Electronics Show:
VFX3D $3799, Cy-visor $2499, DVP-F5 $789.
Giveaways: 3D Website Builder, Soldier of Fortune and others.
|Mindflux will be exhibiting at Stand 318-S of the Consumer Electronics Show from the 26th to 29th of April 2001. It will be a big event and we will have the VFX3D, Cy-Visor, i-glasses and the latest shutterglasses on display. A Virtuality system and a F1 Simulator will be nearby as well. Call us to get a free ticket!
has finally discontinued production of the Sony Glasstron
was a fantastic headset and we are sad to see it go.
Fortunately, we are proud to announce that we have secured the Australian distributorship for the Daeyang E&C Cy-Visor DH-4400VP HMD. This headset has 800x600 resolution and accepts NTSC/SECAM/PAL/SVGA input! It is the new kid on the block and is bound to turn some heads! RRP $2699.
about the Virtual Technologies, Inc. CyberGlove®,
tactile feedback CyberTouch,
and the arm/hand 'desktop' force-feeback CyberForce™
Infrared adaptors are now available for those that can't spare a
serial port, as well as Infrared
adaptors for IrDA motherboards.
These adaptors let you change the logos, icons and tones on the latest IrDA compatible phones like the Nokia 6210, 7110, 8210, 8850 and 9210 and Ericsson R320s or DI28/DI27 with compatible phones.
Copyright © 2006 Mindflux (Jasandre Pty. Ltd.). All rights reserved. firstname.lastname@example.org Ph: (02) 9416 9619 Fax: (02) 9416 9029


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GRASS VALLEY, Calif. (CBS Sacramento) — California’s last remaining Kmart is closing before Christmas. A worker at the Grass Valley store says they got word of the impending closure last week.
The store is now set to shut its doors for good on Dec. 19.READ MORE: Fantasy Football Start Or Sit Week 13: Elijah Mitchell Looks To Take Advantage Of Seahawks' Defense
There were still Kmarts in South Lake Tahoe and Watsonville at the start of 2021, but those locations were shuttered back in August. Sacramento’s last Kmart store, which was along Stockton Boulevard, closed back in 2017.READ MORE: Sarasota County Sheriff's Office Drug Lab Earns Accreditation
Plans are underway for a Target store to replace the Kmart, according to reporting by The Union.MORE NEWS: The City Of Tampa Appoints New Manager Of Housing And Community Development
At its height, there were more than 2,400 stores Kmart across the U.S. Now, only 17 remain.


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Mercedes-Benz is working on the final touches of its latest C 63 AMG sport sedan, according to a new report out of Autoweek.
The range-topping AMG version will take on the likes of the Audi RS 5, the BMW M3 and M4, and the Lexus RC F coupe. The 2015 C-Class with its AMG sport package should give you an idea as to what the full-blown C 63 would look like, but expect the requisite styling changes aimed at adding more visual muscle, including tweaked front and rear fascias, a new hood and unique wheels. Like the 2015 C-Class, the C 63 will be larger, wider and taller than the outgoing model in an effort to push the car upmarket. In addition, the C 63 will benefit from added aluminum bits in its platform.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Although nothing has been set in stone just yet, it is suggested the 2015 C 63 AMG will be powered by a new, twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine. It is expected to pump out anywhere between 450 and 480 horsepower. In comparison, the C 63 AMG is powered by a 6.2-litre normally-aspirated V8 engine, good for 451 horsepower and 443 lb.-ft. of torque.
Along with a sedan, the C 63 AMG is expected to be offered as a coupe, convertible and a wagon, although the latter likely won’t find its way to North America. It is expected to debut at this year’s Paris Motor Show, which kicks off in October.


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Olympic freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy has a special message for people criticizing the new Gillette advertisement.
Gillette released a new video ad this week (13 January), spotlighting toxic masculinity and challenging men to ‘do more’.
Some people praised the ad for its message of inclusion in light of the Me Too movement. But others became enraged, opting instead to boycott the men’s shaving brand.
These people began using the hashtag #BoycottGillette and proclaiming they’ll never buy the product again.
Kenworthy noticed this trend and began calling people out on Twitter.
He tweeted: ‘If you don’t know the difference between “by” and “buy” then you shouldn’t be on Twitter. “Bye!”‘
The Winter Olympian then included screenshots of people saying they’ll never ‘by’ Gillette again.
If you don’t know the difference between “by” and “buy” then you shouldn’t be on Twitter. “Bye!” pic.twitter.com/PwfIhDm6PB
— Gus Kenworthy (@guskenworthy) January 16, 2019
Kenworthy then continued his tirade on people offended by the new ad.
‘To anyone who was offended by the @Gillette ad that simply implored men not to sexually assault or harass women,’ he tweeted. ‘Fuck you!’
He then later wrote: ‘R.I.P. “boys will be boys”‘
At the time of writing, the Gillette advertisement is the number one trending video on YouTube.


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Tag: fraud detection
Fingerprint, the globally renowned device intelligence platform, has successfully procured $33m in a Series C funding round. The venture was spearheaded by Nexus Venture Partners and witnessed participation from Uncorrelated Ventures.
Medius, a forerunner in AP Automation and comprehensive Spend Management solutions, has recently embarked on a strategic alliance with Caatalyst, a global recovery audit powerhouse. This collaboration denotes Medius's maiden voyage into the realm of AP Audit Profit Recovery.
AI and ML models have become an essential part of the FinTech sector, predicting outcomes and making decisions, especially in fraud.
Effectiv, a real-time fraud and risk management platform servicing financial institutions and FinTech companies, has announced a fresh round of funding.
Chargeback fraud, an ever-present issue affecting businesses of all kinds and sizes, results in losses totalling to billions annually. The surge in eCommerce has coincided with an increase in such fraudulent activities, and this alarming trend is expected to continue.
Flagright recently shone a light on the topic of fraud detection in FinTech, with a battle against synthetic identity theft ongoing.
Pay.UK, a central infrastructure provider for payment services in the UK, has declared a unique partnership with global payments giant, Visa, predictive analytics company, Synectics Solutions, and AI-based fraud prevention firm, Featurespace.
Pasabi, the UK Trust & Safety platform, is primed to expand its global footprint, having successfully secured a multi-million-dollar investment.
Sumsub, a full-cycle verification platform, recently unveiled alarming data that shows an unprecedented rise in forced verification and deepfake-related fraud cases across the UK and Europe. The findings were drawn from the company's anonymised verification data collected from its clients.
In a recent post by Alessa, the company detailed how businesses can tackle account takeover fraud and ways to detect signs of it.


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At Facebook’s F8 conference, there were a lot of announcements that you might want to know about. Mark Zuckerberg shared information about how Facebook are looking to build, grow and monetize through its many tools. Here is what Facebook had to announce that will help not only us as users, but developers get the most out of Facebook.
Granular and Anonymous Logins
As we know, hundreds of applications use Facebook login. If you, as a users are logging into an app for the first time, you can fine tune how that said app will interact with your information. We know that we are asked if an app can post to Facebook on a user’s behalf, but now you can choose exactly what you want shared or not. You can also now log in anonymously.
FBstart Developer Tool
If you are a developer, you can apply to the new FbStart programme. This includes access to free tools and services worth up to £18,000. If you are selected, you will also receive credits for advertising on Facebook, access to their cloud-based programme Parse along with product testing, recruiting, customer care and video conferencing tools.
Audience Network is an ad network that Facebook has introduced via mobile. This service will allow third-party app developers to use Facebook’s existing targeting and measurement features as well as access to three ad formats; banner, interstitial and native.
Mobile Like for Third-Party App
The “like” button for third-party mobile apps has now been introduced. Facebook have now introduced the button, giving developers access to a user’s timeline with just the use of the “like” button.
Local Datastore for Offline App Use
Offline data storage has been offered to developers, allowing them to keep apps running while using a mobile device that is not connected to the internet.
Two-Year Stability & 48-hour Bug Fixes
Facebook have made their platform even more stable for users and developers. The company has promised to fix all major bugs within 48 hours and a two-year guarantee with all of Facebook’s core API’s and platforms.
New Media API’s
Facebook have announced four new API’s for media organisations; Trending, Topic Insights, Topic Feed and Hashtag Counter. This has been launched as part of the new Public Content Solutions programme. This tool is said to help make stories users are telling more compelling with Facebook content and data.
Some of the above may not make complete sense to you however, it shows that Facebook are changing their strategy. Whether this is for the better, only time will tell.